To ensure your flight is a happy, memorable and safe occasion, please read these Terms & Conditions of Flight.

Flight bookings and vouchers are pre-paid in full and non-refundable. Hot air ballooning is extremely weather dependent and your scheduled flight will more than likely need to be cancelled numerous times before the weather is suitable for a safe, happy, and memorable flight. Although some passengers are lucky and only need to reschedule a few times, on average most passengers need to reschedule at least 5–10 times and in a lot of cases more than this, due to unsafe weather related flight safety requirements. There is never any guarantee in regards to a time frame for when your hot air balloon flight will actually be able to go ahead as scheduled. Within the hot air ballooning industry in Ontario, due to the increasing unstable summer weather conditions, hot air balloon ticket/voucher holders may need to reschedule over multiple flying seasons. Once again, please remember that flight bookings and vouchers are pre-paid in full and non-refundable.

WEATHER

Balloon flights take place when local weather conditions are suitable. Flights are unable to take place in unstable conditions (rain, risk of thunderstorms, poor visibility, hot and humid weather, wet ground conditions, unstable thermic conditions, wind shears, poor air quality/air pollution advisories), or if the winds on the surface or aloft are above or below our safety limits. Where arrangements have been made to meet for a flight, we reserve the right to postpone a flight at any time up to the moment of launch if, in our judgement, the conditions are not safe.

If your flight is cancelled due to unsuitable weather conditions, please be patient with our staff as the weather is beyond our control. To ensure your safety, Ontario Hot Air Balloon Rides Ltd only flies when the weather is safe to do so. As local weather patterns can change drastically over short distances, it must be understood that the weather conditions at the launch site may interrupt our capabilities to launch. We have more than 25 years of ballooning experience, so please respect our decision, your flight is well worth waiting for!

DURATION

Flights with Ontario Hot Air Balloon Rides Limited are planned for approximately 45 minutes to just over 1 hour in duration. Your pilot will always do his best to achieve a 1 hour flight. The length of flight will be determined by the availability of landing sites or changes in the weather. This decision rests with the pilot. Your safety will always be our top priority.

PASSENGERS

To participate in one of our flights, passengers should be able to travel to our launch site within two hours. A child under the age of 16 years will only be flown if accompanied by an adult appointed by the parent or guardian. While there is no upper age limit, passengers must be able to climb in and out of the basket which is about 42 inches high (1.1 m) and stand for at least one hour. Children must be at least 10 years old and be 1.4 m tall (4' 6"). Due to safety and operational requirements, we cannot fly passengers whose weight exceeds 285 lbs. Weight in excess of that licensed to be carried in a hot air balloon is dangerous and it is important that your indicated weight is accurate.

ATTIRE

The temperature in the air is usually the same as on the ground so clothing suitable for a country walk is ideal like trousers, t-shirt/long sleeves and flat shoes - and natural fibres are better than nylon. Please wear shoes with proper ankle support (flip-flops and sandals are unacceptable). A hat or a cap is useful to protect your head from the heat of the burners. Also, do not forget to bring your camera and an extra memory card!!

FIT TO FLY

Passengers should be medically fit to fly. If the passenger has a previous medical condition that could be aggravated by taking a flight, we advise that they seek medical advice before booking a flight. It is important that you notify us of any medical condition or disability that the passenger may have. Pregnant passengers will not be carried on our flights.

CANCELLED FLIGHTS

In the event that a flight is cancelled due to adverse weather conditions; it is the responsibility of the passenger to contact us or rebook their flight online within 12 months of the purchase date. Flight tickets and vouchers are valid for 12 months from the date of issue. Sometimes passengers can be cancelled numerous times before being able to fly. If you have tried to schedule within 12 months of the purchase date and have not been successful going for your flight, we will simply extend your vouchers for a further 12 months.

Our flights/vouchers are prepaid in full and are non-refundable. We do understand that sometimes passenger’s situations change and they no longer can or wish to use their balloon ride vouchers. For this reason, the vouchers are transferable. If you wish to transfer your voucher to another party, please ensure their health or ability is not restricted. Simply let us know who you want us to transfer the voucher to and we will amend our records.

SHARED FLIGHT LOAD REQUIREMENTS

Please be aware that our shared flight balloon requires at least 5-6 passengers, depending on the total combined passenger weight. This in order to meet the minimum weight load needed for a safe flight. So please be aware that even if the weather conditions are suitable for flight on the day that you are scheduled to fly, there must be a minimum of 5-6 passengers scheduled on your flight in order for the flight to go ahead. This does not affect our private flights for just two people. We are always actively working to try to fill each shared flight with at least 5–6 passengers per flight. Cancelled flights due to the lack of passenger bookings are rare. The weather/wind forecast is far more a contributing factor to cancelled balloon flights here in Southern Ontario.

BOOKING ALTERATIONS

Five days' notice is required should you wish to alter a booked date and failure to do so could result in forfeit of your entitlement to book another date.

LATE ARRIVALS/NON-ARRIVALS

Any passenger failing to show up at the time on the flight status line would forfeit their payment. Any passenger arriving late for a flight where the pilot was unable to wait and had made the decision to fly would also forfeit their payment.

It is the responsibility of all passengers to check the Ontario Hot Air Balloon Rides flight status line for their scheduled flight. Ontario Hot Air Balloon Rides uses a pre-recorded flight status line that all passengers must call in order to check the status of their flight. Information in regards to when the flight status line will be updated for your flight can be found in your booking confirmation email or on our website.

INSURANCE

Ontario Hot Air Balloon Rides Limited holds Third Party and Passenger Liability to a maximum of $2,000,000. No responsibility will be accepted for any illness or injury to a passenger due to a pre-existing medical condition or failure of the passenger to comply with instructions. Pregnant passengers are not accepted on our flights.